If history has showed us one thing in Pro Football, is the fact that even though it's a quarterback/wide receiver driven league, you can't win a championship without a key running game when trying to cross the finish line. So where does one draw the "line" or true value for the running back position, being that most backs in and around the league don't consistently average 900 plus yards per season and 10 touchdowns??

Perhaps you and I aren't watching the same player and perhaps you could qualify some of the things you assert....

"If history has shown us one thing in Pro Football, it's the fact that even though it's a quarterback/wide receiver driven league, you can't win a championship without a key running game when trying to cross the finish line."

I would argue that many pass happy teams have not only made it to the super bowl, but won it. History has proven this because it has happened...several times. The Rams/Titans super bowl is a good example. Marshall Faulk ran for 17 yards and no touchdowns. Meanwhile, EG ran for 95yds and 2 TDS for the Titans and we lost. Their pass happy team won and that's just one example.

Now you give yourself an out by not saying top 10 running attack or anything quantifiable. Instead you use the vague term....KEY. What definies a KEY running game? Point is, it's good to have a great running game - especially when you see one of the historically best offenses shut down by seattle's not complicated defense in the SB. But do you NEED it to win? No. You might need it to win with a rookie QB though.

I would argue that the NFL is finally realizing some of it's mistakes in that the avg career of a rb is much shorter then other positions but they have been 'valued' equally. Given this fact, the position as a whole should be lesser valued though the top players will always be appreciated because they are percieved to be difference makers. At the same time, we will continue to see late rounders or undrafted players playing just as well - further driving down the draft/monetary value of the position. Indeed, CJ is a cautionary tale, one the Titans did not read of with past rb's. CJ's problem was - hard to say - a lack of effort for the most part. Anyone who watched this season saw him run with much more effort and enthusiasm and burst the last game of the season (even though it was meaningless for us to make the playoffs). Where was that effort the middle of the season when Locker went down? CJ plays hard when he wants to. Now if he can just find the right situation that will motivate him to play his best, he can have success again. If not, he may be out of the league sooner then most think. So no, if AP had the same stats but busted his tail like he does each and every game, they wouldn't release him. CJ's lack of effort, lack of production and an unwillingness to reduce his outrageous contract are what got him released.

A thinly disguised CJ thread.
I say RB as a position is not undervalued - but the league has figured out the parity of positional candidates at RB and the fact that many RBs/RB groups can fill the shoes of the last guy plug n play style.
It's called supply and demand.

To be fair, this was a pretty weak overall class for starting RBs. Moreno led the class and most recognized he is a system RB. I wish we could have had a shout at Joique Bell though. Kid is pretty damn impressive when he started the games Bush was injured.

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